Just Give Me a Reason
by ThePhantomoftheLightningThief
Summary: I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Sometimes life throws things at you that you never expect, but it's always for a reason. I was starting to think that moving from the hustle and bustle of Chicago to the middle of nowhere, Wyoming happened for a very specific reason. And that specific reason was a girl. And her name was Max. (FPOV-rated T for language)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: As sad as it makes me, I do not own any Maximum Ride characters or anything of James Patterson's creations. But I do own the plot.

I try not to lie to myself. It's one of my life rules. Don't judge a book by its cover. What others think of you is none of your business. Don't be an asshole. Just some of my basic laws to live by. But I sure as hell would be lying to myself if I just ignored the girl who walked by outside. She was tall and tan, with her chest out and head turned up like she owned the place. She was also absolutely beautiful.

She paused for a second outside the door, and a small part of me wanted her to strut on in so I could at least see her up close. Instead, she looked up at the sign before turning to face the street. I caught a glimpse of her face: she had smooth tan skin which was complimented by her light brown eyes. Even from inside the ice cream shop where I worked, I could tell there wasn't a trace of makeup on her. It was refreshing to find someone who didn't look like a Barbie.

However, my initial impression of her changed the second she pulled a box of cigarettes out of her bag. So she was a smoker. Okay I'm not a total nerd who is against anything bad for you, but two of my grandparents and my young cousin died of a lung cancer. All the long term effects of smoking. Despite this, I was mesmerized as she held the cigarette between her teeth. She inhaled deeply, smiled a little and then blew the smoke out in a perfect stream. I hate to admit it, but she looked so cool while doing it. Like the perfect girls they use in those 80s movies and those old smoking commercials. She looked powerful, like she was in control of everything around her. A few minutes later, a tall, scrawny boy walked up and they immediately started talking. It looked like she offered him a cigarette but he quickly turned her down. A second later she tossed the cigarette on the pavement, and ground it in with her shoe.

Before I knew it, they had opened the door and stepped in to the little shop. I spun around, quickly pretending to be cleaning dishes in the sink. I didn't need them thinking I was watching them through the window the whole time. I acted like I didn't notice them for a second. I had to play it cool with this girl.

She cleared her throat loudly, obviously wanting me to turn around. "Hi, welcome to Scoops. What can I get you?" I asked, wiping my hands on my apron. Yeah, I had to wear an apron. Normally I didn't mind it, but it made situations like these much more unfortunate.

The boy ruffled his hand through his strawberry blond hair. "Can I get a single scoop of mint chocolate chip." I nodded. "In a waffle cone," he added.

I handed him his ice cream, and turned my attention to the girl who seemed to be studying me intently. "I'll have a double scoop. One scoop lime sherbet and the other..." She paused, "Make the other scoop moosetracks."

I wrinkled my nose. Never heard that one before. "In the same cone?"

She nodded. "Is that a problem?" she asked calmly. I held up my hands in the universal "I surrender" gesture before getting to work on her order.

"How old are you?" Her eyes were piercing; it was impossible to break away from the intensity of her stare.

"Seventeen," I replied, handing her the ice cream as the blond boy handed me the money. Maybe he was her boyfriend?

"Me too," she said. "How come I haven't seen you around before? It's not like this town's very big."

"I just moved here last spring, but I finished school before I moved," I explained, putting the ice cream scoop in the pile of dirty dishes that was growing bigger and bigger.

"So where'd ya move from?" she asked, licking her ice cream, leaning on the counter a roses from me.

"Chicago."

"Why the hell would you leave to come here?" she asked and the guy next to her snickered.

I just shrugged. "My dad's job. Besides I didn't live in the city, just a suburb."

"Yeah, but at least you were near civilization," the boy cut in. I guess he had a point; we were in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Sure it was absolutely beautiful here, but if you wanted to see your neighbor's house you had to get in the car. Back home, if you wanted to get to see your neighbors you could see them while lying in bed.

"So have you met any new people-" she hesitated, not sure what to call me.

"Nick," I said.

"So Nick, have you met anyone since you got here?" In all honesty, no. I had not met many people people since I'd moved here, but I didn't want to sound like a total dork.

"A few, no one super interesting," I said casually. She raised her eyebrows. I realized I still didn't know her name. "I don't think I caught your name."

"So Nick," she began, ignoring my question. "Have you ever rode a bull?"

"What?" Was that actually a thing? Like in rodeos?

"You know, where you hop on a bull and whoever stays on the longest wins!" Her friend said excitedly.

"You don't know what fun is until you've tried it," she said. "Talk about adrenaline rush."

"Isn't it kind of dangerous?" I asked. I know I'm not very cultured, but considering they probably weren't trained professionally it couldn't be safe. Trampled by a bull? Not on my list of things to do.

"I laugh in the face if danger, ha ha ha!" She snickered, but her friend just rolled his eyes.

"That's from Lion King," I said stupidly.

"No shit Sherlock," she said, wiping a stray drip of ice cream off with her finger. I just rolled my eyes and started sorting through the dirty dishes. "Well, I need a smoke," she said to her friend and he nodded.

They were at the door when she turned around. "Wanna smoke with us?"

"No," I said. As tempting as her offer was, I'm not a smoker.

"Why, scared?" There was a slight edge to her voice, daring me to contradict her.

I did anyway. "No, smart." She glared at me for a second before smirking. It was a smirk that made you nervous. Like she wanted to mess with you. The smirk of a nine-year old boy who just pulled a dumb prank on you. However, I didn't think she was gonna pull some dumb prank on me.

"Hey Nick, wanna come to a party?" her smirk had disappeared and was replaced with a smile.

"I barely know you, or anyone in this town," I said but she just rolled her eyes, pushing a piece of her hair out of her face.

"That's the point of the party, genius. It's called socializing, maybe you've heard of it." She was obviously being sarcastic, but I couldn't decide if she was being mean or funny. It was bothering me. A lot.

"I'll think about it," I said. I didn't want to sound overly excited. Besides, I didn't know if I even liked this girl. Sure she seemed nice enough, but she was also kind of rude. She seemed arrogant. I don't like arrogant. But on the other hand, she was really pretty.

"You should come, it'll be fun," her friend said as he opened the door and stepped out.

"But I don't even know your name. Or where the party is," I said, pointing out the obvious.

She opened the door, but turned back towards me at the last second. "The name's Max. The address is 221 N. Clark. If you don't see it, you'll hear it."

She closed the door behind her leaving me with a bunch of unanswered questions to go along with the big pile of dishes waiting for me.

_(LINE BREAK) _

Even after my shift ended, I couldn't help but think about my encounter with Max. There was something about her that was just intriguing. I liked that about her. She was new, different. Normally figuring people out is easy, but Max was not easy to figure out. She snapped at me one second, then invited me to a party he next. It was enough to make a guy crazy.

By the time I walked home, I had made a decision: go to Max's party. It would probably start at 8 or a little later, so I figured I would make my casual appearance at 9 or so. That was the plan at least.

"Hey mom," I said as I walked in the door, making sure to leave my shoes by the door. My mom was a clean freak and to be honest, a little (okay a lot) OCD about this kind of stuff. But thanks to her, the house was always spotless.

"Hey sweetie," she said from the kitchen. "How was work today?"

I shrugged as I walked into the room. "Fine."

"Sounds like you had a blast," she said smirking, the same way I did.

"Actually, someone stopped in and invited me to their party," I paused.

"Oh good!" My mom had been skeptical about moving because no one in my family is very good at making new friends. We're all more of the strong and silent type. Since we'd moved here, I hadn't done much in the socializing department. It was the middle of summer and I worked every day, so it wasn't like I had tons of free time to go walk around and try to meet new people. Not that there even were that many people here. Our old town had at least 60 thousand people, but our new town was only 15 thousand and that might be pushing it. "Whose party is it?" She asked casually. My mom trusts me and gives me a lot if freedom, but she wasn't just going to send me off without at least asking a few questions.

"Max," I said. As much as I love my mom, I wanted to keep this kind of vague. I didn't want to make it seem like I was going off to some random girl's party, which I was. But she would get curious and start prying to get the information out of me.

"Was he alone?" she asked. Perfect, she thinks Max is a boy and I didn't lie at all. I really don't like lying. I'm terrible at it; I always stutter. I can't lie my way out of a box. I'm just not very convincing I guess.

"Another guy named Jeff was there," I said. Also completely true. For all I know, Jeff could be his name. "I think I'm going to head over there around 9 or so," I said, wanting to change the topic.

"Take your car, just make sure you are home before 12," she said, as she finished loading the dishwasher.

I nodded and she smiled before reaching out and ruffling my black hair. 12 was definitely fair, considering I had to drive alone. Another thing that was absolutely foreign to me was the abundance of wildlife. Back in the city, the most wildlife we saw was a squirrel or the occasional chipmunk if you were lucky. Here, deer and moose crowded the sides of the road, especially at night. Apparently people saw bears in the woods pretty frequently too.

A few minutes before 9, I put on a new black shirt and a pair of gray khaki shorts. Casual, but classy. Okay not really, but it was an improvement over my basketball shorts and t-shirt that we're covered in ice cream. I added a touch of cologne and ran a hand through my hair, giving it a messy, just out of bed look. I grabbed my keys, wallet and phone before getting in the car and pulling out of the driveway.

I squinted at the little map I held in my hand. Alright, this was it, according to the address Max gave me. I didn't see anyone, but it was so dark I could barely see the steering wheel right in front if me.

I got out of the car and climbed the sloping hill. Once I got to the top, I saw no one. Why did I come to this dumb party? Since there was no one here but me, I figured it was just a prank. But it wasn't a very good one. Like "come to this really fun party! Surprise, there is no party!" I'm sorry, but that's lame. And then all at once a few streetlights turned on, dimly yellow. I heard a familiar sound but didn't recognize what it was until a stream of icy water hit my face. In the next instant, water started spraying out of the ground like crazy. It must have been a very elaborate irrigation system.

My hair had flattened and was stuck to my face. My shirt was soaked through by the time I walked down the hill again. I wouldn't be surprised if they were hiding in a free or something filming this moment, so I made sure to keep my cool and not do anything stupid.

I got into my car, slamming the door shut, before driving off into the darkness. I didn't know what to do. My mom would be worried and think I was being bullied or something extreme like that so I couldn't go home. I didn't exactly have any friends that I could call either. So I stuck with my only other option: drive around for a while.

I drove through the national parks, admiring how everything was so calm and peaceful. It was so relaxing here. In the city, everything was so fast-paced, stressful and high maintenance. It was kind of nice to not have any worries here. I could get used to it.

Now if I could manage to make some friends, that would be splendid. So far, I had made two...I didn't know what to call Max and the guy I told my mom was Jeff. Definitely not friends, but it's not like we were enemies either or something. I guess acquaintances was a fair word, but I felt like there was more of a connection than that. An acquaintance is someone you meet at the urinal. Okay, not a perfect metaphor but whatever. Nevertheless, I had a feeling that I would see her again. Whether or not I wanted to was another matter, especially considering what happened just now.

I heard a softy grinding noise but ignored it at first. But then it started getting louder and louder until I pulled off the road onto the shoulder and stopped the car. I heard a big rush of air come out of something and instantly got nervous. If this car broke down, I was dead. It was nearly 11:30. My parents would be asleep but expecting me before 12. They would definitely know if I was much past midnight.

I know they always tell you not pull the hood of the car up in driver's ed, but I did it anyway. I jumped back as steam poured out of the hood. Awesome.

All of a sudden, a dark pick-up truck slowly drove up to me. Speak of the devil, Max and her friend (the guy I decided was Jeff) were sitting in the front. I knew I'd see Max again, but didn't realize it would be this soon.

"Need a ride, cowboy?" I couldn't help but smile. Only Max, the girl I barely knew, would happen to find me stranded in the middle of nowhere.

"Sorry but I don't get in vans with strangers," I said, feeling a smile spread across my face.

"We have candy," Jeff (you know who I mean) said with a grin.

"Oh boy!" I pretended to get all excited.

"I guess we can drive you home," Max added.

"And leave my screwed up car right here? Yeah, my parents would be thrilled." I hadn't meant to sound mean, but it came out kind of rude.

"This has a tow cable, dumbass," she said, looking at me like I was a five year old.

I couldn't take it anymore, "Stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" She asked, hooking my car up to her truck.

"Like you feel sorry for me or something," I said frustrated.

"I'll consider it." She winked at me before hopping back in the driver's seat.

"Just take me home," I muttered, slumped against the window. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. Being with Max took a lot of concentration. I could never figure out what she meant, even though we'd had two conversations total.

She was confusing, but confusing doesn't mean bad. Confusing doesn't mean good either. Just different, and god knows I could use different.

So I hoped you like the first chapter! I know I've been kind of MIA but I broke my computer but I finally got an iPad to use to start writing again so hopefully I can update my other stories soon. Any reviews on those would helpful because I'm dealing with some unfortunate writer's block.

But review, review, review! I hate to say it, but the more reviews the faster I'll update! Let me know if you like it, love it or absolutely hate it. I'm completely open to constructive criticism and am also looking for a Beta reader so if anyone is interested, let me know!

Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own any thing as cool as Maximum Ride. Just the plot.**

It was a few months after my first encounter with Max, and school had started. Well it would start in about two minutes and forty seconds. I was sitting in first period math (yuck) when the teacher frantically rushed through the door, papers flying all over the place. He was a middle aged man with a button down shirt, which unfortunately for him, was off by one button so the entire shirt was uneven.

A few minutes after the bell rang, none other than Max strutted in the door of the classroom as if she had all the time in the world. Our teacher, Mr. S, just sighed as she walked in. It was the first day of senior year, and he already seemed exhausted by Max.

"Is this habit of being late going to continue from last year?" He asked, running a hair through his hair that was graying at the sides. I wouldn't be surprised if Max had caused some, if not all of it.

"Probably," Max said nonchalantly as she made her way to the only unavailable desk in the room which, of course, was next to me.

"Max, can you please try to be a little more respectful this year," he asked.

She shrugged. "Probably not."

"Max," he said in a warning tone. "It's the first day of senior year. Can we please try to just get through this day." He seemed stressed out, and I couldn't blame him. Max was a handful on her own, but in school she seemed to be even worse as she clearly didn't want to be here.

"What are you gonna do to me?" She taunted back. Frankly, I was surprised the teacher was putting up with her crap. She seemed so arrogant, almost like she needed to be taught a lesson. I mean she seemed cool, but she didn't need to act like she ran the place. "Saturday detention?"

He frowned. "I'm getting to close to sending you to your dean."

She just rolled her eyes but leaned back in her chair so it was balancing on the back two legs.

"You're gonna fall," I muttered, judging the angle of her chair.

"Doubt it," she shot back, popping a piece of gum in her mouth and chewing loudly.

Most of the class seemed to think of her as a form of free entertainment, except a few kids in the front row who shot her dirty glances.

"Nerds," she muttered under breath. "So Nick, you going to college?" She turned to face me, and was close enough that I could smell the minty freshness of her breath. I guess she had to chew a lot of gum to mask the smoky smell.

"Yeah," I said, copying down the equations he had on the board. Didn't most people go to college these days? At my old school, college was a really big deal and we got lectures about getting good grades, making good choices, the usual speech about once a week.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, and I just nodded. "Where?"

"I don't know. I'm applying to Boston College, Notre Dame but if I go to Marquette I have a chance at a scholarship," I said.

"I don't think I'm going to college," She admitted. Probably not, since she hadn't even taken out a pencil from her bag, despite all the notes and figures on the board.

"How come?" I asked. I didn't peg her as someone who really valued education, but I still figured she would get at least some sort of college education.

She shrugged. "I don't have the money. Only my mom is at home, and she needs help a lot. We have a farm a little ways from the house, and she would need help working the fields, animals and raising the other kids. I have 5 siblings."

Well now I knew a little more about Max and her home life. She didn't have a dad, maybe her parents were divorced? Either way, it wasn't any of my business. She came from a decent sized family but had limited money. That was interesting.

"Miss Ride, can you tell the class what I just said?" Mr. S said, turning towards us with a piece of chalk in his hand.

"Something stupid, I'm sure," she muttered and a few people around us snickered.

"A little louder please," he said, looking at her expectantly.

Max rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. "A quiz Friday," I whispered to her under my breath.

"Excuse me. I know you're a new student here, but please don't provide Ms. Ride with any help. She needs to learn some respect." I sighed. If Max was going to learn respect, this certainly wasn't going to be how.

"He's being unusually annoying today," Max remarked, loud enough for everyone to hear, but it wasn't directed at Mr.S.

He sighed, "The quiz is Friday. It counts for your first grade so please study for it."

The bell finally rang. "See ya around Nick," Max said as she got up and stalked out of the classroom to catch up with a group of girls in the hallway.

"Hey," a vaguely familiar voice said, and a tall, skinny figure appeared next to me. "Iggy," he said holding out his hand. It was the blond guy who had been with Max both times over the summer.

"Nick," I said shaking his hand.

"So," he said cutting right to the chase. "Do you like, have a thing for Max?" His eyes, a pale blue, met mine.

"What?" I asked, incredulous. "No." I shook my head.

"You sure?" He asked with a sly grin.

"Very sure. I mean, sure she's real pretty but she's not my type," I said carefully. "Why?"

"She's not what you think she is," he said seriously. What was that supposed to mean? I had no idea what I thought of Max. "Just wondering. You seem to talk to her a lot."

I wrinkled my nose. "We've spoken three times." Maybe this guy was confused, but I definitely wouldn't say we'd spoke "a lot."

"And how many other people have you spoken to?" Well I guess the guy did have a point. He grinned as I stood there speechless. "Just be careful. This school isn't as simple as it seems," he said stopping outside a classroom. Gee thanks, I could've figured that out for myself. Everything about this school seemed to be different than my old school. I turned around, but Iggy was gone. I wasn't sure if Iggy was his real name, or a nickname. I was hoping it's a nickname because I couldn't think of what Iggy could possibly be short for.

I sighed as I shut my locker. On my way to my next class, I saw Max walking strangely close to some guy in the hallway. They didn't seem to be in any hurry even though class was about to start. They didn't seem to be holding hands, but their shoulders brushed against each other as they walked down the hall. He was a few inches taller than Max, with sandy colored hair that swept across his sea green eyes. In a second they were gone, and I was in another classroom, nearly identical to the first one. She had definitely seen me, but walked by as if she hadn't.

I sat down with a frustrated sigh and opened my Environmental Science book to page 21.

A week later, I was sitting alone in first period when I felt a shadow pass over me. I was half expecting it to be Mr.S, but it was just Max.

"What's gotcha down kid?" she asked, plopping her bag on the ground and slipping in to the chair beside me. Max had been here every day this week, except Wednesday. But I think she just ditched since I saw her I the cafeteria later that day.

"Just tired; I don't want to be here," I said, sitting up to look at her. She looked tired today, but still flawless.

"You and me both, kid," she said, grabbing a stick of gum from her pocket.

"Kid?" I asked, and she just shrugged. Mr.S came around with our quizzes near the end of class. My paper was face down on my desk, but I flipped it over. I scanned over the red pen marks, but he hadn't corrected anything; it was all just underlined or circled or Yes! was written next to a few problems.

Max's eyes widened as she saw my -0 at the top of the page. "Holy shit," she breathed, "You're frickin' Einstein."

"Actually, Einstein was more into physics," I said without meaning too. Now I sounded like some nerd, and I rudely ignored her compliment. For some reason I felt like Max wasn't one to compliment people often. "Sorry, I meant thanks," I muttered quickly under my breath.

She just smirked. She flipped over the paper than had been placed on her desk and the smirk dropped right off her face. "What the hell? How am I so stupid?" She asked herself, scanning over her paper which was covered in slashes and red Xs. She skimmed her work and looked confused and incredibly frustrated.

"It's okay, I'm sure you'll do better next time," I said, doing my best to sound positive.

"That's not gonna help my grade now is it?" She snapped, but suddenly apologized. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You're right. I'm just stressed." She ran a hand through her wavy hair, her eyes narrowed.

Wow, I got a compliment and apology from Max in one day. That was more than I'd got all of last week combined. I guess that was good, maybe we were starting to become friends. If that's what I even wanted. I needed to think through some things and sort out my priorities.

"Don't worry about it. If there's anything I can do..." I trailed off and she just looked at me. Smooth, I thought to myself, real smooth. That sounded so lame. 'If there's anything I can do...' I sounded like some unsuccessful school guidance counsellor.

She looked at me blankly for a second before turning her attention to her D+ quiz. I wondered why she cared so much about grades if she wasn't planning on going to college.

At the end of class, she got up and grabbed her books but stopped before she reached the door. "I changed my mind," she said, as I approached. Confused, I didn't respond. "There's something you can do to help."

"Alright," I said, sounding stupid I'm sure. For somer reason, every time I talked around her I sounded stupid.

"Tutor me," she said simply.

"In math?" I asked, looking at her blankly (again!).

"No in the ancient art of Chinese tapestry." She rolled her eyes, "yes, in math you moron."

"Sure," I said simply. I had no problems with teaching Max one on one.

"Tonight at 7:30 at the library downtown," she said. I felt it was a little gracious to call it a "downtown area", but nodded anyway. "Don't be late," she said with a wink and was instantly swept up in the wave of people streaming down the hallway.

I made my way down the hallway, my head swirling. Max and I were hanging out tonight. Okay I guess tutoring and hanging out aren't exactly the same, but it was a hell of a lot closer to hanging out than I was this morning.

I was confused though. Was she asking me to tutor her as a friend or because she desperately needed math help and she was sure I didn't have anything better to do. The second was probably more likely. I sorted through some of the information I knew about Max. She was independent, but lived in a large family and was needed to help around the house. She was arrogant and incredibly sarcastic, but call me crazy, but she seemed to be more than just a sassy teenager. She seemed popular, and was definitely well known by her peers but I wasn't sure who her actual friends were. She was like a puzzle. I had to figure out one piece at a time, and hopefully it would all come together in the end. Or maybe I would never figure her out and she would be a mystery to me for the rest of my life.

But for some reason, I felt like I had met Max on purpose. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe Max was that reason. Maybe she was what led me to this desolate part of the country.

**OKAY, SO FOR THOSE OF YOU READING THIS, I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE. I HAVE TO WRITE ALL MY CHAPTERS ON AN IPAD WHICH IS SUPER INCONVENIENT FOR MULTIPLE REASONS. I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING MISTAKES, JUST REVIEW AND TELL ME IF THEY GET BAD. ALSO I CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE THE BOLD BUTTON SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS IN ALL CAPS. AND FINALLY, IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO USE THE LINE BREAK TOOL AND COULD EXPLAIN IT TO ME, THAT WOULD BE SUPER. THAT IS ALL.**

**OH I ALMOST FORGOT, IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS, REVIEW! I LOVE REVIEWS (obviously-even the mean ones because they're very helpful) AND THE MORE YOU REVIEW, THE QUICKER I'LL UPDATE. HAPPY READING! **

**Never mind, I figured out how to use bold but am too lazy too retype all that in lowercase.**

**read, review, and make good choices**


	3. Chapter 3

When I got to the library that night, Max was nowhere to be seen, so I grabbed an empty table near the fiction section. At 7:45, when I was thinking that Max had pulled another stupid joke on me, she came rushing in looking flustered. Her hair was blown back by the wind, and she was wearing a white sweatshirt in addition to her white shorts. She looked stressed out, frustrated and exhausted.

"Sorry I'm so late," she said quickly grabbing the chair next to me. The normal arrogant Max Ride was gone and replaced by someone I hardly recognized.

"No worries," I paused as she scrambled through her bag trying to find her notebook.

"Shit," she mumbled. "I don't have my notes, can I share?"

I nodded and slid my notebook towards her. She leaned in to see, so her face was a few inches from mine. I could see the bags under her bloodshot eyes.

"Are you okay, Max?" I asked. Normally I try to avoid conversations like these, but she seemed miserable. I just wanted to make her better. Make it better.

"Yes." She took a breath. "No," she said. "I-I don't know."

I smiled, "Those are the three options."

She didn't return the smile, and it slid off my face. "I don't know, Nick."

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

"Nothing. Everything," she said running her hands through her sun streaked hair. Well she was definitely not good at expressing herself. She was almost as bad as I was. I hated emotions, particularly my own.

"If you ever want to talk, I'm here," I said. Wow, I sounded like a total girl.

She actually smiled, "Thanks Nick. You never know, I may take you up on that." I couldn't tell if that was supposed to mean she appreciated the offer or if she was making fun of me. "So I don't understand problem one," she said, clearly changing the subject.

"Alright, so it's actually a lot simpler than it looks. Half of the information in the question is irrelevant, so you just need to figure out what is actually important to solving the question," she grabbed the pencil out of my hand and underlined part of the equation. I nodded, "Exactly, now do you know how to solve it from here?"

Her eyebrows drew together as she wrote out a complicated equation. I shook my head, then explained an easier way to do it.

"How are you so smart?" She asked suddenly, looking up from my notebook. I shrugged, not knowing how to answer the question. "Seriously though, is it just natural?"

I shrugged again. "I guess. I don't know, it just makes sense in my head."

We'd finally gotten through all of her quiz and it as nearly 9:30.

"You're a good guy, Nick," she told me, her light brown eyes meeting my dark ones. She leaned in close and for a split second I thought she was going to kiss me, but she leaned back. "Hey, do you wanna go somewhere?" She asked.

"What'd you mean?" It was already late and I didn't need to get into trouble with my mom, or worse, the police.

"It's just a place I know about," she said mysteriously, and I eyed her skeptically.

"I don't know," I said. "It's getting late."

"Come on, don't be a wuss." She was starting to sound more like the Max I knew or thought I knew anyway.

"Whatever," I said. "I'll come but if we get there and I don't like it, I'm leaving."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

When we reached the parking lot, we got in our cars and I followed her down the road. She made a few turns and we ended up on a gravel road climbing up a big hill. Eventually she parked, and hopped out of her truck.

She came over to my open window. "Well I'm staying whether or not you leave, so good luck finding your way back into town." I groaned. She was right; there was no way I would be able to find my way back to the main road, especially in the dark.

She snickered as I unwillingly got out of the car. No use in sitting alone in the car. "What is this place?" I asked as she grabbed a few blankets from the back of her truck.

"I always used to come here with my dad, but now I can't so I come alone sometimes." She walked down the path and found a nice patch of grass before spreading our her collection of blankets. She sat down and patted the ground next to her, beckoning for me to come sit. So I did.

"Do you come here often?" I asked, grabbing a blanket from the pile and laid it over our legs, which I couldn't help but notice our knees leaning against each other.

"No," she said pulling the blanket tighter around her. "I don't like coming her alone; it makes me sad. Too many painful memories when I'm alone, but there's no one I want to bring with me." I nodded. I knew exactly what she meant. It was too personal to brung friends to, but going alone was just as hard. The solution? Bring a stranger. That seemed to be Max's plan at least, considering she brought me along.

The hill we were sitting on overlooked the airport, and a plane slowly began to drift into our view. "We used to watch the planes land. Almost everyday. We would count how many landed each day, and just watch as these huge machines managed to land perfectly on the runway," she said. By the 'we' I assumed she meant her dad, though I still wasn't sure if they were divorced or if he had passed away. It was hard to tell, but the way she talked about him sounded very final and resolute, like he was gone forever.

We sat in comfortable silence, watching the plane grow larger and brighter by the second. She leaned over, and her head rested against my shoulder. Her hair laid on my neck, tickling my collarbone. After a few seconds, I slid my arm around her shoulders lightly. It was an entirely friendly gesture; she seemed like she just needed someone right now, and I was that someone.

I don't know how long we sat like that, but it was a while. Unfortunately, she pulled her head back and sat up straight. "Wanna cigarette?" She asked, shuffling through her things.

I ignored her question, "Why do you smoke?"

"Why do you not smoke?" She asked, totally disregarding my question.

"Because it's bad for your health. Moving on, why do you smoke?" I asked, staring intensely at her. She seemed like she had so much potential but was throwing her life away.

She shrugged. "Lots of reasons."

Well that was helpful, not. "Like?" I asked, promoting her to explain.

"It helps me relax," she stated simply, staring even more intensely back.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll feel really relaxed when you're buried ten feet under the ground," I said and she just looked at me, almost sympathetically.

She dropped the blanket she was holding, and lay completely down in the tall grass. She breathed deeply, softly. I almost thought she was asleep, but when I slanted my gaze over, her eyes were wide open. So I joined her, lying down in the itchy grass and looking up at the stars. What I saw amazed me. I'd never seen so many stars in one place before. It was incredible; it was breathtaking.

"Never seen this many stars, have you city boy?" She asked, reading my mind.

I shook my head. "In the city, you can maybe see a third of these stars. And that's on a clear night."

She sighed, "That's awful." She sounded genuinely upset, "I just hate all the pollution, and urbanization. It ruins so many beautiful things in nature, and a few generations from now life is gonna be so different. There won't be any trees, or animals, or anything remote and beautiful. People will be machines; they basically are now. We barely have real conversations anymore. It's pathetic," she closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet smell of nature. It was a tad bit ironic since she had been smoking just a few minutes before, but I decided to let her have this moment.

I looked up at the sky, a sparkling world surrounded by darkness. She seemed so passionate about this and I smiled as I looked over at her.

"What?" She asked, noticing my smile.

"You're really passionate about this," I said.

"I just really don't like how our generation is ruining the Earth, like we're not even people anymore." It was simple, but she said it with so much feeling, daring anyone to contradict her.

"That's what passionate means," I said smirking.

She rolled her eyes. "You're really annoying. You know that Nick?"

I was annoying? She was the annoying one. She seemed like this deep, confusing person but whenever I started to learn something about her she changed the subject. It was unbelievably frustrating.

"Shit," I muttered, looking at her watch. It was 10:25 and I needed to be home by 10:30. "I gotta get home," I muttered, looking at Max who hadn't moved from her spot on the blankets.

"Sucks to suck," she said as I grabbed all my stuff and hurried to my car.

"Aren't you going home?" I asked. It was getting late and I didn't want her to get in trouble.

She shrugged, "I haven't decided yet." I wanted to think she was kidding, but it wouldn't surprise me if she decided to sleep in the forest.

"Well that sounds safe," I muttered getting in my car and slamming the door. "Doesn't your mom worry?" I asked before pulling away.

"Probably," she picked a dead dandelion from the ground and blew, smiling softly as the seeds caught the wind and flew off into the night. "Not my problem though, is it?" It kind of is, I thought angrily. This was what bothered me about her. This side of her that was arrogant and rude. Her mom must be worried sick wondering where she was, and she just decided it wasn't her problem.

"Hey Nick," she called just as I was leaving. I backed up so I could hear her. "Thanks for tutoring me." She gave me a small smile. "Maybe I'll get a passing grade this time."

"Sure, anytime." I checked my watch again, she better hurry this up, I needed to be home.

"And thanks for coming out here with me. And listening to all the dumb stuff I said," she said quietly, but I heard her.

"It wasn't dumb," I said instantly, just because she believed really strongly about something didn't make it stupid. It made her strong, passionate and independent; in my book, those were some really cool qualities to have.

"Well thanks anyway." She said, returning to her spot in the grass under the trees.

"If you ever want to come back again, you know where to find me," I said and she smiled. I mean, she did drop me and my car off over the summer.

"You might regret saying that," she said seriously. Well what the hell was that supposed to mean?

I frowned but decided now was not the time to ponder the mystery of Max. Now was the time to get home as I fast as I could without getting a ticket or hitting any deer. As I got back on the gravel road, I turned and saw Max laying in the grass, holding a collection of dandelions over her head.

She was certainly something else.

_(LINE BREAK)_

I saw Max a few days later in the cafeteria when she ran up to me as I was standing in the pasta line next to her friend Iggy.

I noticed how all eyes were on her as she crossed the cafeteria and came over by me. I noticed that the guys were all giving her adoring looks, like she was this innocent person, which she so wasn't. And she wasn't discreet about it either. She talked back to teachers, smoked on school property and she seemed kind of like a flirt.

It was like she had a split personality. One side was cocky, rude and annoying while the other was determined, guarded, and sweet. I really liked one side of Max, but I could barely stand the other side. It was the ultimate decision: whether or not to keep talking to her in general. But she seemed like she needed someone, despite what everyone thought of her, so I figured I would cut her some slack.

"What's up with you?" Iggy asked, "You're practically glowing."

She flashed a cheesy smile before holding up a paper. "B-", it read in red ink.

"Hey, congrats," I told her.

"Thanks for helping, I probably would've gotten an F," she said. "Again." Iggy raised his eyebrows at me over the back of Max's head, but I quickly shook my head no.

"No problem," I said, scooting up in line.

"Do you think you could um, help me study again. We have a test..." she trailed off, and sounded embarrassed.

Iggy just smirked, enjoying this moment. "Sure," I said. "When?"

"Tonight, same time and place," she said. "Oh shut up, Iggy." He had been making hearts and pointing between us. It reminded me of how little kids think they're so funny and clever.

"Are we going to-?" She cut me off before I could finish.

"Yeah we are going to go over this quiz and the study guide." She glared at me, giving me some look that I was supposed to understand. I didn't get why she wouldn't tell Iggy about going to that place in the woods. I wondered if she was embarrassed to hang out with me. Or maybe she was embarrassed that she let me see the side of her no one else knew about. But whatever it was, it was irritating me to no end. I decided I would just ask her about it later.

Max left, leaving Iggy and I awkwardly standing alone in line.

"Dude what's all that about?" Iggy asked, ruffling his strawberry hair.

"What?" I was confused. "She failed some math quizzes and she asked if I would help her."

"Alright," he said winking.

"Why are you winking? I'm not lying," I said again.

"Right," he said, winking again. I just rolled my eyes. "Actually, do you wanna hang out with us on Friday?" I eyed him warily. Last time they tried this, I wound up in a field, sopping wet and entirely alone. He blushed, "Sorry about last time. It's an old prank that we do anytime someone moves here. Don't worry, it's nothing personal." Well that sort of explained that. "But anyway, I can pick you up if it makes you feel any better. We just go to the fields way off the highway and hang out. It's really casual, so if you've got nothing better to do..." He trailed off, and I guess he felt kind of uncomfortable since we weren't really close friends.

"Yeah that'd be cool, thanks," I said.

He nodded. "I know Max likes you, well at least she acts like it, so you must be decent if she can stand to hang around you." He gave me a brief smile before grabbing his food and leaving me standing alone again.

Well at least I had plans and I might possibly meet some cool people.

Later that night, I met Max at the library again. This time she was waiting when I got there with her notebook out, ready to go. She didn't look stressed or miserable like last time, so we got right to business with the math quiz. B- was a huge improvement, but I was determined to get her that A.

Once we finished we packed our bags and headed to the parking lot. "Can I grab a ride home?'" Before waiting for my answer, she hopped in the passenger side and buckled up. "Thanks," she grinned as I got in the driver's side beside her and started to drive.

"Wait, where do you live?" I asked, her eyes were fixated on something in the darkness. She cracked open her window, letting in the chilly autumn breeze.

She didn't respond right away. "Can we just drive around? I can't go home right now."

"Okay," I responded. She'd been quiet all night and I decided to just let her drive around with me.

"Thanks. Sorry, I just really don't think I could go home right now. I just can't...deal with everything right now. It's too much," she admitted. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't feel comfortable asking. It wasn't the right time. The right time was when we were laying under the stars, surrounded by trees and enveloped in darkness.

We drove around for a while longer until I didn't have much gas left. She directed me toward her house. "Wait actually, can you drop me off on the corner?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Sorry, I don't have that kind of money," I said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, clearly disgusted. "Seriously. My mom doesn't know I was out, she thinks I was just around the farm and close by so she needs to think I walked."

"Alright, whatever floats your boat," I said. She had me pull over, and she opened the door and shivered. Her long, tan legs immediately got goosebumps as she stepped into the night air. "Here." I took my sweatshirt off and handed it to her through the window. "At least wear this, it's freezing."

She looked skeptical for a second but then thought better of it and grabbed the sweatshirt, throwing it on over her head. "Thanks," she whispered. "You're the best."

I waited from the corner to make sure she walked all the way to her house and made it inside okay. Once she was gone, I made a u-turn and headed back home.

The next morning on my way out the door for school, I saw a familiar black sweatshirt, folded, ironed and sitting on the front porch. I smiled to myself as I grabbed it and walked to the car.

**Hoped you liked this chapter! Got a little bit of insight into Max, but keep reading! I'm completely open to suggestions so if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them! **

**PS I own nothing Maximum Ride.**


	4. Chapter 4

A beat up blue pick up truck pulled into the driveway surprisingly fast, considering the state of the truck. A familiar pale face was looking out the window from the passenger seat. I hopped off the porch and in next to Iggy.

"This is quite the car," I said, once we'd been driving for a few minutes. Normally I have no problem with quiet, but it was making me a little uncomfortable.

"This baby's all mine," he said with a grin, patting the outside of the rusty, blue paint. Well I wouldn't exactly say I was jealous. "So Nick, you party much?" He asked, turning on the radio.

"Um, I don't know. I did before we moved; it was a big party school," I said simply. People partied all the day, whether you wanted to or not. It pretty much defined your social status.

Iggy let out a slow whistle, "Man, you don't know party until you've been to one of our parties."

"Wait, we're going there now?" I asked. I was so not prepared for a party. I'd figured it'd just be a few people hanging out, something low key.

"Nah," he paused. "Believe me, you'd know if there was a party." I just nodded, I couldn't really imagine a huge rager going on anywhere here. He noticed my skeptical look, "Trust me."

We pulled into a big lot with a few scattered cars, and I saw shadows of people standing near some cars. Iggy raised his hand in greeting and a few voices called back, but none that I recognized. We got closer and I was able to make out a few faces all leaning on cars.

"Sup Ig?" I looked over and vaguely recognized the guy who'd spoken. He was tan and muscular, with the hair of a celebrity. He was the guy Max had been walking with in the hallway.

I scanned the faces, but didn't see Max anywhere; I'd really been hoping she'd be here to introduce me. Thankfully though, Iggy did the honors. "Hey guys, this is Nick. He just moved here; he's friends with Max." A few people nodded and I just nodded back. I was playing it cool.

"Is Max even coming?" A girl's voice asked.

Iggy shrugged, "Last time I talked to her she was."

Another girl chimed in, "Well she was, but she got in trouble with mom." Mom? Oh yeah, Max had five other siblings. "She'll probably sneak out anyway." The girl sounded kind of annoyed, but I couldn't tell for sure. She turned over towards me and held out her hand, "Ella. Lucky me, I'm Max's sister." By the tone of her voice, she definitely didn't sound like she enjoyed being related to Max. Now that I knew she was her sister, I noticed some striking similarities: the curve of her jaw bone, the natural streaks in her hair, the perfect ski slope nose. But there were also striking differences; Ella seemed more concerned with her appearance judging by the makeup and name brand clothes.

"How come?" I asked, curious to know more about Max. It was so difficult to gather information from her.

Ella snorted. "She's just a handful. She's real moody, ever since dad..." She trailed off, her attention shifting over to Iggy who was lugging something out of his car.

All of sudden, Max's dusty, old pick up roared into the parking lot. She hopped out of the drivers seat, looking flawless as always. She also looked incredibly irritated.

"Nice of you to show up," Iggy said and she just rolled her eyes.

"I was sort of in trouble. Again. But I left, so whatever," her voice was quiet and menacing. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing yet," the tan guy who looked sort of like a Ken doll said. "Just waiting for you." Her flashed her a quick grin, showing off his perfect teeth.

"Well you didn't have to do that," she looked slightly happy anyway. "Hey, Nick," she said, sounding surprisingly excited as she came over to stand next to me. "You know how to light a fire?"

"Um, yeah. I did Boy Scouts, I know what's up," I smirked and she rolled her eyes laughing.

"C'mon." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the woods until we got to a clearing. There was a pile of firewood next to a smaller pile of twigs and a bunch of branches with dead leaves on them.

"You realize that the leaves will just smoke, it won't be a bonfire that you can cook off of?" I asked. For someone who lived out in the wilderness, I figured she knew how to start a fire.

She shrugged, and looked at the ground. "My dad never taught me before he," she paused, before mumbling, "you know." Except I didn't know. But me, being the good friend I am, just nodded. I didn't want to push it.

"Sorry," I mumbled quietly. I could tell that it was a touchy subject.

"Don't worry about it," she flashed me a quick grin and I nodded. "So...this fire isn't gonna light itself," she said with her typical smirk.

I rolled my eyes, chuckling softly as I went over and started rearranging the logs in a teepee fashion. "Can you get some rocks? I don't want to start a forest fire."

She nodded and I went back to as sorting the sticks into an acceptable pile. I scanned the ground but didn't see any matches. Looks like I was gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way.

By the time I realized Max had a lighter, I had already gotten a small flame started. She came back, arms full of rocks and I grabbed some and surrounded the base of the fire with them. Hopefully this would prevent something from catching on fire easily.

"I have a question," I announced. She didn't say anything so I took that as a good sign. I dropped my voice, "Are you embarrassed to be friends with me?" I asked.

"Huh?" She dropped whatever she was carrying and came over to where I was awkwardly standing. "Yeah you're just really funny looking and I don't feel comfortable being seen with you in public. It's a real inconvenience," she looked at my startled face and laughed. She came over and through a casual arm over my shoulders.

"So that's a no?" I was still confused.

"Why do you think that?" She asked, she turned to me with her nose a few inches from mine. It sloped down perfectly and then turned up slightly at the end.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I mean you act like that night in the woods never happened. You asked me to start the fire in here, away from everyone else..." I felt stupid, but I had to know.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" She smiled softly. "Of course I'm not embarrassed you moron."

"Then why-" I started but she cut me off.

"I don't tell anyone because that's always been my special spot. Iggy's never been there. Ella and Ari and Dylan don't even know it exists. I don't know, I felt like I could take you there. You're different. You're something else," she paused. Something else. I could spin that as good. Most guys were something; I was something else. "I mean, I love Iggy like a brother but it's just one of those things you know?"

I nodded cause I did know. We headed back to tell everyone the fire was "a blazin'." Max's words not mine, I swear.

"Sup kids, the fire's ready," Max said as we appeared out of the darkness. "You all know Nick right?" Everyone nodded. "Nick do you know everyone?" I shrugged; names were not my thing. And they also hadn't actually told me their names. That might help. She started at Iggy, "That's Iggy, Dylan, Jensen, Ella, Monique but call her Nudge, me and that's Dean." She pointed to a guy carrying a bag of stuff towards us. I nodded; hopefully I'd remember at least a few names.

"Sup Dean," she held out her hand and he fist bumped it.

"I brought fireworks," he said with a devilish grin. His grin matched Max's when she was ready to cause trouble. So basically on a daily basis during math.

"Sweeeet," Iggy crooned. "Let's see how Nick's fire-making skills are holding up." We followed him into the woods, and thankfully the fire seemed to be going strong. We all sat down around the fire.

"Yo," Max called out. I hadn't even heard her get up, but she was back holding a cooler. "Who wants one?" Everyone raised their hand and Max tossed everyone a beer. I caught mine, and cracked it open. Don't worry; I'm not a drinker, but you've got to be able to have fun once and a while.

I sipped the cold drink, feeling it run down my throat. Max took a swig, and sighed. After everyone had at least one drink, Iggy yelled out that we were playing truth or dare.

"Alright, you're up first, Ig. Truth or dare?"

"Is that even a question? Dare," Max rolled her eyes and then furrowed her eyebrows in concentration.

"Alright, take off your clothes."

"Now, now Max I know you like me, but now's really not the time for that." He winked and flashed the devilish grin that everyone around here seems capable of doing.

"Just do it. But leave your underwear on," she said. "For now. Okay now you need to go to the street side, drop your undies and yell 'I'm a woman, hear me roar!' And you can't stop yelling until someone pulls over to take a picture or talk to you." Iggy scowled and Max grinned while everyone else just laughed.

"If I get arrested for public nudity I will actually kill you," he said, trudging off. "I am a woman! Hear me Roar!" We could hear him calling this over and over, til he got close enough to the road that it was barely audible.

Jensen was up, since Iggy was gone. "Alright Nudge, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" She said instantly. I tried I to make out her face through the fire. She had mocha colored skin, bright eyes and curls that just seemed to go every direction. She was pretty, but she was no Max.

"How many days have you gone without wearing underwear? Or a bra?" He asked chuckling. The guys all snickered but Ella and Nudge both wrinkled their noses.

"Ew, Jensen that's gross," Nudge complained.

"Wow. So you're calling my way of life gross? That's racism!" He yelled, doubled over in a fit of laughter. He had definitely had too much to drink.

"You guys are disgusting," Nudge moaned. I couldn't help but laugh at the stark contrast between the guys who were comparing the longest they'd gone, and Nudge and Ella who seemed completely disgusted.

We kept going around, but thankfully I hadn't been picked. I'm not really a fan of being the center of attention. Halfway through, Iggy returned, clothes in hand. He looked chilly and annoyed but he was still smiling. I doubt I would still be smiling if I had to do that.

"Alright Maxie, I got one for you," Iggy said, once he had put all his clothes back on. "Truth or dare?"

"Oh come on Ig, you know it's always dare," she said, brushing hair out of her eyes. I was surprised she hadn't whipped out her cigarettes yet tonight, but maybe her sister didn't know about them.

He grinned evilly, and I grimaced. I had a bad feeling about this. "You need to make out with-"

"No girls," Max cut in.

"Aw shucks," Iggy said rolling his eyes, but suddenly he was serious. "Make out with Nick." Max looked at me, shrugged her shoulders and came over to where I was sitting. Oh yeah, that was me. Well making out with Max: this was one way to do it.

I stood up, and we turned to head into the woods. You know make it nice and romantic. "No children, you must stay here," Iggy said with a cackle.

"Ew Iggy, we're not staying here to make out in front of you," Max sounded kind of disgusted.

"Oh gross, Max that's not what I meant. Never mind, please get to the woods as quick as possible." He tossed a few more logs in the fire. "Oh and I'll tell you when you're allowed to come back." Iggy grinned manically and Max and I set off to the woods to at least get some privacy. Under Iggy's guidelines, we must be visible but not close enough to see. Sure, Max had a lot to drink, but we were still going to make out. In my book, that still counted.

I laughed, and felt nervous. Sure, I'd kissed plenty of other girls before, but this was Max. It was different. She was different. Before I could overthink it anymore, she leaned in, her face barely an inch from mine. Her breath smelled like a mix of bad beer, a little of smoke, and a little of mint gum. She leaned in, and in seconds her mouth was on mine. Her lips were incredibly soft. They were perfect, like everything else about her. Her hand reached up, getting tangled in my hair. Before I knew what happened, it was over. She pulled back, grabbed my fingers and pulled me back to the fire.

"I knew you two could barely keep your hands off each other," Iggy said, eyebrows raised suggestively as always.

"Oh grow up Ig," Max said. I could barely keep a straight face; I had just kissed Max. And she'd kissed me back. I knew how I felt about it-well I thought I did. But I sure as hell didn't know what was going through Max's head. She seemed as cool and nonchalant as ever, but her eyes seemed to be racing. But that could also be the alcohol or my imagination, as usual. "What'd we miss?"

"Not much," Ella said with grimace. "Just boys being boys." The guys were all snickering and fist bumping.

We played a few more rounds of truth or dare. Jensen and Dylan had to swap clothes with Ella and her friend (Nudge?) for the rest of the night and go home in them. That could be an interesting conversation when they got home.

"This is boring," Max said, sounding tired.

"Still bored?" Dean asked as he held up a bag full of fireworks. His eyes took on a mischievous glint that if recognized as Max and Iggy's signature look.

"Let's light em up," Iggy said with a grin. Max tossed him her lighter, and the flame illuminated just his pale blue eyes, making them glow in the darkness. "Guys get ready to run." Wait what? Were these even legal? Then I figured that Max didn't seem to have much of a problem with disrespecting authority. I wasn't sure if I was okay with that or not.

A burst of color erupted in the vast darkness above. The sound echoed across the mountains, making it 100 times louder. Everyone applauded as he took a bow, before getting ready to light some more up.

He grabbed a handful, and then flame flickered before he tossed the fireworks and they exploded into bursts of color across the sky. The ground shook, and I swear he was going to cause an avalanche.

That's when we heard the wailing of police sirens; and then they were definitely getting louder.


End file.
